Vancouver Instagram-famous chef to the design community Juno Kim (@jun0k) has started a “Monday Night Dinner Series” at 33 Acres Brewing. My interest was piqued with last week’s premier dinner that featured Wild Mushroom Risotto and Pork Belly:
http://instagram.com/p/xzUfKFlm3N
The menu is different every week. Not sure how long they’re gonna do this for, but follow @33acresbrewing or @jun0k for the latest news.
Note: This is “episode 2” cuz I missed the first “episode” 😛 Unfortunately no re-runs so you gotta experience it live!
This week their main meat feature was beef brisket braised in 33 Acres of Darkness!
Description of 33 Acres of Darkness.
Beef Brisket Braised in 33 Acres of Darkness with smoked rutabaga, micro arugula (might’ve been missing from my plate), schwarzbier au jus (au jus also made with Darkness!), horseradish crème fraîche, and smoked Nelson the Seagull toast with butter.
My beer was (of course) 33 Acres of Darkness (5%). Great pairing. Smokiness in the bread melded wonderfully with the beer and food.
Man, I love that Nelson the Seagull sourdough bread. That yeast…it’s got a depth and tanginess that I find unique with breads produced in this city. Wow.
Tender enough to separate with your fork. And that au jus was off the hook! If no one told you there was beer in it, you’d be none the wiser, but would just enjoy the background roasty, savoury notes along with the delicious beef juices. Full flavour without resorting to too much salt. Great stuff.
This was my second time having Juno Kim’s food. First time was at Hawkers Market back in November where he served a trio of appies, the best of which was probably the chicken liver parfait cracker but in general underwhelmed me. I followed him on Instagram where he posts lots of delicately composed food-meets-art type stuff that made me think that he makes pretty plates, but can he bring the flavour? Tonight he showed that he can absolutely bring the flavour:
Since I was in public, I didn’t lick the hipster retro steel & enamel plate. If Wicca was with me, I’d ask her to cover me while I licked the plate. Ah well.
Finishing off with a 33 Acres of Nirvana IPA (8%). It’s punchy, fruity, robust yet smooth IPA.
So, next week will bring an entirely different menu. It’s both exciting and frustrating. Exciting cuz of the sense of adventure and newness, but frustrating cuz I won’t be able to experience that braised beef brisket again!
Just as I left to catch my bus home, I saw Juno come out to talk to the customers. I hastily snapped a few photos and promised myself to say “hi” next time…I ain’t no creeper. Really. 😉
Monday nights just got a whole lot better! Great food and a great place to have it!